
A poker dealer lays out charity fundraiser tournament chips at a Salem, N.H. makeshift casino; the New Hampshire legislature now really wants to approve one land that is legitimate for hawaii (Image: VNews.com)
New Hampshire may have a reputation as a quiet, relaxed state where bed and breakfasts and a little skiing are about the most exciting happenings around, but that image can be about to change. With everyone else in the region building up their gambling industries, it appears as if the Granite State may be prepared to participate into the brick-and-mortar race and welcome a land casino of the own.
Representing the Future
Based on reports, over 100 representatives in the state House of Representatives have signed on up to a bill that could welcome only one casino to hawaii of New Hampshire. That’s significantly more than half the quantity of representatives that would eventually need to vote for such a bill to pass the house.
People declaration had been meant as a sign of early strength for the bill. A total of 108 representatives publicly supported the bill, making up a bipartisan team of 83 Democrats and 25 Republicans. Many of those representatives also participated in a press conference to strongly show just how they felt about bringing casino gambling to New Hampshire.
‘We have actually momentum because we listened,’ said Representative Katherine Rogers. ‘We heard the issues of House members last spring who said we don’t have the best regulatory framework.’
All Systems Go
The bill that is new concerns, giving the state plenty of oversight over the casino bidding procedure and providing money for issue gambling services. The bill would allow for starters casino, with all the permit for that casino going right through a bidding process that is competitive. It would also create a fresh Hampshire video gaming commission that could oversee not only the casino, but also the lottery that is existing racing, and charitable gaming operations into the state.
‘There are major improvements that is likely to make sure expanded gambling is a good deal for the citizens of New Hampshire,’ said Representative Jeremy Dobson.
Late this the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the bill, known as HB 1633 week. Supporters revealed the financial benefits of a casino, saying it could make significant revenues without needing a broader taxation increase. It would be a new way to obtain jobs in a declare that tends to lose young workers with other parts of the nation.
‘We are running away from time to attract individuals to stay in New Hampshire and to here give people jobs,’ said Diana Lacey, president of the State Employees’ Association.
One concern raised at the hearing ended up being the basic idea that casino gambling may not fit in using the current ‘brand’ New Hampshire has into the minds aussie-pokies.club of tourists and visitors.
‘We would not have such a chronic need for this income that we have been willing to tolerate the burdens and the price and the damage to our brand,’ said Concord developer Steve Duprey. While some supporters stated that New Hampshire’s motto is ‘Live Free or Die’ which may suggest that residents is allowed to choose whether they want to try out at a casino or maybe not Duprey countered that the state nevertheless had to create decisions in what’s right and acceptable for New Hampshire.
But other people disputed the branding claim. Pat Griffin, A new Hampshire resident whom had worked in advertising and marketing for their state’s tourism industry, pointed out that 41 other states have some as a type of casino gambling, and that has not impacted most of their brands. As an example, Colorado has 41 casinos, but is nevertheless known for its hills and skiing. One casino, he said, defintely won’t be the tipping point that modifications what brand New Hampshire means to site visitors.
Toronto Man Wanted After Failure to pay for $12.9M to Las Vegas Casinos
A nomination that is new ‘World’s Dumbest Criminals’ could be a Canadian man who reportedly owes the Venetian casino in Las Vegas and one other $12m in IOUs and is now AWOL and wanted
There are certainly a things that are few can get you nominated for ‘World’s Dumbest Criminal’: robbing a bank with surveillance cameras every where, attempting to steal a police vehicle, and many truly towards the top of that list would be skipping out on major casino gambling debts. Not smart, not smart at all.
That’s what one Toronto high-roller is finding out after failing to repay some $12.9 million in losses to two Las Vegas gambling enterprises, dating all the way back to 2008. Authorities are actually seeking him out to file charges in the case.
Not-Yet-Arrested Development
43-year-old Semion Kronenfeld is now known as on a Clark County District Court arrest warrant, after having a grand jury indicted him on 12 counts of felony theft, writing bad checks, and obtaining money under false pretenses. This puts Kronenfeld in a unique kind of stupid category, as it’s certainly one of the biggest casino that is unpaid cases ever in Nevada, and if convicted, the only real place this Canadian will be rolling dice will be in the state penitentiary, perhaps for decades.
The Clark County indictment which was handed down this week states that the high-roller failed to repay $7.9 million back in October of 2008 on IOUs made out to the casino that is venetian the Las vegas, nevada Strip. Then, just two weeks later, Kronenfeld presumably pulled a similar quantity on the Stations Casino-owned Green Valley Ranch casino, located in Henderson, just outside of Las Vegas proper; he reportedly stiffed that property for $5 million.
According to Nevada legislation, unrepaid casino IOUs are considered fraudulent checks. With a bounty that is prosecutorial of percent for ‘processing and prosecution’ put on any pre-trial settlements for these cases, many such incidents are placed to sleep without any charges being filed; obviously, that has not been the actual situation here, though.
Around this writing, Kronenfeld remains AWOL, according to prosecutor Jake Merback, who heads up Clark County’s bad check unit, and calls to Kronenfeld’s attorney in Las Vegas, Craig Mueller, were not returned.
Kronenfeld’s case went public back in 2009, at which point the Canadian had been placed in casino credit reports as having his own estate that is real company, based in Ontario. Apparently he also holds a passport that is israeli happens to be known to have multiple spellings of his last name, sometimes spelling it ‘Cronenfeld.’
In Good Business with Other Big Losers
While enormous, Kronenfeld’s case is hardly the actual only real bad-debt that is large to strike Nevada’s gambling enterprises in recent years. One particular high-profile case included the former owner of chatchke-manufacturer Oriental Trading Co., Terrance ‘Terry’ Watanabe, who had been indicted in 2009 after it absolutely was alleged he failed to pay back (then) Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc (now Caesars Entertainment) in the total amount of $14.75 million in IOUs. However, Watanabe counter-sued Harrah’s and funds for an amount that is undisclosed reached in July 2010.
And Watanabe is not the sole other high-profile gambler to get caught without repaying their debts; notorious porn-purveyor Joe Francis of Girls Gone crazy fame was also the subject of an IOU dispute with Wynn Resorts Int’l to the tune of $2.5 million. And NBA that is former All-Star Walker whom pleaded accountable before his case came to trial received a 5 years’ probation sentence and had to fork over $770,000 in restitution.
Florida Faces Battle for the wallets that are bulging Warring Casino Factions
It’s really a fight to the finish, with he who spends most having a good shot at winning, as casino and anti-casino factions face down in Florida (Image: istock)
Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson often lobbies for casinos and sometimes lobbies against them (as in his massive anti-online campaign for the past year); but whatever he does, he does it with gusto and a whole load of cash. So it should come as no surprise that his company is one of several casino that is major supporting 100 lobbyists (well-armed with every politician’s favorite form of homage: moolah) whose goal will be to place some pressure on Florida’s legislators regarding the Sunshine State’s stalled land gaming status.
Fighting for County Rights
Demonstrably, gambling outfits with something to gain are most enthusiastically behind this posse that is legislative funding; which puts Genting during the front regarding the line; they’ve been looking to get into the Miami beachfront market by having a Resorts World Miami task for quite a while now without success. This could be the standoff of all of the standoffs: because very recently, top state lawmakers managed to make it clear that the complete problem of gambling in Florida is low on their importance totem pole this year.
Nonetheless, money talks and you understand what walks, so week that is last’s Senate Gaming Committee seat Garrett Richter promised to introduce a new bill permitting two resort casinos that could go up in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. By way of amazing coincidence, those two spots just happen to be precisely where both Adelson’s Sands and Genting have been hoping to secure casino websites. And more good luck: Florida’s 60-day legislative session kicks off on March 4, therefore it is all just in the nick of time. Yessirree, Bob, those homage gifts can part the Red Sea whenever delivered over meal at A tallahassee that is fancy eatery it would seem.
Richter who only a week before was decrying how impossible it absolutely was to coordinate all of Florida’s different and sundry video gaming factions is now saying that while the dilemmas at hand remain complex, he intends getting this casino plane ‘off the ground.’
He’ll have his work cut out for him, no matter how numerous lobbyists give him early Xmas presents. Florida’s compact with the Native American Seminole tribe gives that group rights that are exclusive popular and high-end (in other words., very profitable) table games like baccarat and blackjack. The 2010 compact did maybe not encompass craps or roulette, and requires the Seminoles to shell out $250 million a year to florida through 2015. After that, tribal leaders aren’t planning on backing down easily; Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen reportedly told scouts from Sands and Genting when they first began their push two years ago that ‘[it shows] a Seminole lady on there, that’s not somebody from Las Vegas,’ referring to images on the Florida state flag.
And there is yet more complex political waltzes going on into the Sunshine State, because former Governor Charlie Crist has decided he wants his old work back, meaning he’d have to unseat current governor Rick Scott come November. Adelson, of course, has been known to throw his weight via his bankroll around in an election or two, and with Scott once the Republican incumbent (Crist was also Republican back as he was governor, but has since switched to first being an Independent, now a Democrat), Scott no question could use the Sands CEO’s support.
To the final end, Scott had a meeting with Adelson in Las Vegas soon after taking office in 2011, of which time he advertised to maintain benefit of resort casinos in his state. Throwing even more fire onto this situation that is already incendiary the truth that the Seminole tribe donated a very good half-million to Scott’s rebid campaign last year: the largest single political donation created for the entire year. Talk about being taken in two directions.
Lines in the Sand(s)
And also the battle lines have already been drawn elsewhere, too: unsurprisingly, entrenched Florida icon Walt Disney Co. has made their views noisy and clear on their opposition to casino expansion in the state, and backed it up with $1.7 million spread among legislators over days gone by couple of years. Specialists predict campaign contributions will get even more excessive, so that you can match Adelson’s nearly limitless budget that is political bring lawmakers around. In reality, the COO associated with the operating supply behind the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach says he expects it all to make into ‘ a major food fight’ before the election year is over.
Of course, there’s always a naysayer, and Senator Gwen Margolis (D-Miami) has recently produced a bill to put an end to your lobbying some would state madness that is vote-buying. She really wants to end the ‘sea of cash [that] was sloshing into the campaign coffers’ and says only a statutory law against it’s going to do just fine. Deemed the Public Confidence in Gaming Act, we wish her the most effective of luck in getting this through. It probably stands of the same quality a potential for which makes it as absolutely nothing.